Obama’s Smart Diplomacy with Great Britain
BY Herschel Smith
13 years, 10 months ago
Mr. Obama is showing off his smart diplomacy again.
Barack Obama has declared that France is America’s greatest ally, undermining Britain’s Special Relationship with the U.S.
The President risked offending British troops in Afghanistan by saying that French president Nicolas Sarkozy is a ‘stronger friend’ than David Cameron.
The remarks, during a White House appearance with Mr Sarkozy, will reinforce the widely-held view in British diplomatic circles that Mr Obama has less interest in the Special Relationship than any other recent American leader.
Mr Obama said: ‘We don’t have a stronger friend and stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy, and the French people.’
And here I thought that the U.S. and the U.K held a special relationship! You know, we have claimed that “the Administration has reinvigorated U.S. foreign policy with robust diplomacy and strengthened our traditional alliances.” I guess the U.K. isn’t a traditional ally like I thought they were. Maybe they don’t think so either.
We also claimed that we are building “new alliances.” Well, at least we aren’t doing something so stupid as snubbing upstart allies like Georgia, especially since Putin threatened to hang Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili “by the balls.”
It’s good to show strength and respect for tradition, you know.
On January 11, 2011 at 10:30 pm, BrendaK said:
Isn’t that good news. What with France having been such a steady ally in the past, and all.
Oh, in case you couldn’t tell… /sarc
On January 11, 2011 at 10:41 pm, Fred Z said:
I keep leaving the same post all over the internet. I hope someday Fred Z is seen as the kid who first pointed out that the emperor had no clothes.
Obama is a stupid man. Contrary to his propaganda, he is not bright. He is an affirmative action push forward.
Too bad, really.
On January 11, 2011 at 10:57 pm, Fen said:
Ah hell. The only reason we even talk to France is because we can always count on them to betray their allies. The French had Saddam convinced we wouldn’t resort to force, even at the final hour.
On January 11, 2011 at 11:21 pm, Corsair8X said:
I have no problems with the snubbing of Saakashvili. That lunatic would push everybody into a war. He’s that mouthy kid you knew in school who thought won of the tough kids would stand in for him so he starts mouthing off to *everyone*. Not worth it. Don’t lime Russia much but if they want their buffer because they feel so insecure then just let them have it. They have enough internal problems of their own making that will occupy them. Don’t provoke them and they will happily burn from within.
On January 11, 2011 at 11:57 pm, Herschel Smith said:
I got ya’ Corsair8X. Best to let the Russians push Georgia around and even invade since they need that land to relieve and resupply their bases in Armenia. It’s always good to help them out with their “near abroad.”
http://www.captainsjournal.com/2009/02/22/rapidly-collapsing-us-foreign-policy/
And I too always worry too about little countries “pushing” us into war.
On January 12, 2011 at 1:01 am, Diggs said:
In just two years, Obama has made it clear that Carter will no longer be viewed as America’s worst president ever.
On January 12, 2011 at 1:05 am, Historian said:
I agree with Corsair8X. Smart diplomacy works. It would have worked with Hitler, too. After they gave him Czechoslovakia, he did not start WWII untill the following year, and even then only because they did not want to give him Poland.
Gotta be smart about these things, kids.
On January 12, 2011 at 1:46 am, Baba Ganoush said:
I have traveled many times to both the UK and France and have friends and work colleagues in both countries, but it should be said that our most stalwart allies in recent times have been the Aussies. If there is a “special relationship” these days it is the bond between the US and Australia. Here’s hoping against hope that Obama doesn’t go and ruin that one with another of his feckless pronouncements.
On January 12, 2011 at 6:21 am, egoist said:
A while back, I was working an effort to bring the Churchill Bust (the one returned from the Obama WH) to my state – to illustrate to England the way us commoners do see them as friends, despite Obama’s actions. I ran into a practical brick wall with the owners. Point being, there’s a diff in values between our figure head and us, and we ought to make the world aware of it when we can.
On January 12, 2011 at 8:56 am, Rick Caird said:
No Fred Z. I have been saying the same thing for quite a while. I have never seen any sign that he is particularly bright or intelligent.
His whole campaign was about hiding his record. It was about hiding the time at Occidental College. It was about hiding the time at Columbia. It was about hiding the time at Harvard. It was about ignoring the fact he did not publish in the Harvard Law Review. It was about hiding the Reverend Wright. It was about hiding the Annenberg Challenge. It was about hiding the birth certificate. Obama could put the whole “birther” thing to rest in an instant with the release of the birth certificate. But, he continues to hide it and it is baffling why he does so.
No, Obama is all about speeches and nothing more. Obama is the shallowest of the shallow with no particular sign of any out of the ordinary level of intelligence. What is more, he is not particularly good on his feet when he does not have the teleprompter with someone else’s words.
On January 12, 2011 at 10:56 am, Simon Oliver Lockwood said:
Geez, and it could have been avoided if he had just said, “We have no older friend than France and the French people.” Making the obvious reference to Lafayette and the French alliance during the Revolution. Of course, that would have required an interest in and appreciation of the nation’s real history.
On January 13, 2011 at 8:13 am, Corsair8X said:
Not talking about about appeasement. But at least pick stable friends that won’t drive you into a conflict. Poland for example: on Russia’s doorstep but they don’t try to punch above their weight. Good choice. Georgia (under current government) takes the alliance as a go-signal to start to push (existing) territorial disputes. It is alliances like that that lead into conflicts that aren’t needed (especially at this time).
On January 13, 2011 at 1:18 pm, Corsair8X said:
Sorry, one more thing. If I recall, the push was to include Georgia as part of NATO. If I recall correctly, the NATO charter indicates that an attack against one is an attack against all and as a result this would be a little country pushing people to war. That’s if I recall the charter correctly. Now we know wR would not happen. You would have NATO not do anything or partially dissolve and then you have essentially no threat of a united front confronting Russia. That is my concern with Georgia.
On January 13, 2011 at 10:51 pm, Herschel Smith said:
It’s a matter of perspective, Corsair. There is the side which worries, wrings their hands, envisions a small state “dragging” a powerhouse like the U.S. into a war, being unable to control anything, being unable to effect change in anything, etc., etc.
Then there is the side that envisions what could be. As for Georgian pressing territorial disputes, you have it exactly backwards. Russia is reasserting itself in its near abroad. It will go until it receives pushback. In fact, it will go all the way to Armenia where its tanks need parts, its bases need logistics, and so on.
It’s not that I don’t understand your point. It’s that I disagree with it. So we can let it go at that.
On January 14, 2011 at 2:30 am, bartel pritchard said:
It’s worth noting that Obama did not make the statements attributed to him at the top of the Daily Mail article. If you scroll down, his actual quote was
“We don’t have a stronger friend and [a] stronger ally than Nicolas Sarkozy and the French people,” which is rather, I submit, a disingenuous way of saying Sarkozy and France are _as_strong_ a friend and ally. In fact, later in his remarks (not quoted by the Mail) he says “Obviously the French are one of our strongest allies …” And nowhere does he mention the UK or David Cameron.